Reebok bringing back “The Pump” original is long overdue. Many of us that have been into sneakers for years, all but pray for the days when the marketing teams at Nike and Reebok went “no holds barred” against each other. Back when you could see Richard Chang Pump Up, and Air Out, literally. The first of the new commercials to hit the web is the above “Reebok Pump Beat.” Although the idea behind the commercial is nothing new, for me it’s exciting to see Reebok coming back with a little reminiscent advertising. Hopefully, this will heat up the competition between footwear brands, because we all win when the companies push each other to make better products and lower their prices at the same time.
Let’s face it, Nike and the Air Jordan Brand have really dominated for a number of years now. With that, has come an incredible drop in quality from the Swoosh. With the exception of the basketball signature sneaker lines like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Chris Paul, and the new Trainer 1, most of the materials have taken a significant nose dive from the mid-’90s. It may be more profitable, but it’s not what got them to where they are.
As for Reebok, the history of their lineup is vast, and most of the OG sneakerheads would agree, a goldmine waiting to be retroed. The Pump celebrates it’s 20 year anniversary this year, a technology that 20 years ago was so successful, even Nike quickly dropped the thought of competing (Air Command Force). I’d love to see Reebok step it up with the aggressive marketing again, every commercial was filled with “zingers” towards an athlete signed to Nike or the kicks they wore. Competition is key to success, and as of right now there is very little in the industry. Most companies, like Reebok, are hanging on to their brands in other avenues besides sneakers. There is no shortage of fans, sneakerheads, or aspiring designers, so hopefully, this 20 year anniversary can Pump up the competition.
I grabbed a handful of my favorite Reebok Pump commercials from back in the day after the break. Including the ad for the Original Pump with Danny Ainge, Byron Scott, Dominique Wilkins, etc. Do you think they were actually worried someone was gonna intentionally kick the release valve on their Pumps?